Chapter 78

  The temporary tour guide Little Phoenix finished perfectly.

  Finally willing to be honest and stay in his own small shop as a law-abiding citizen.

  "Have you arrested Zhao Qiu Jie?"

  Lu Xiaofeng puckered up his mouth upon hearing Zhan Zhao's voice and continued practicing his calligraphy without even lifting his head.

  Zhan Zhao walked up to the desk, casually placing his sword on the edge of the table, took a ink stick to help her grind the ink, and happened to see the characters she had already written.

  My cottage lies in the human realm, yet there is no noise of carriages and horses. I ask you, how can this be? The heart is distant, the land is naturally biased. Picking chrysanthemums by the east hedge, I see the Southern Mountain at leisure. The mountain air is fine at sunset, flying birds return together. There is a true meaning in this, wanting to explain, I have already forgotten words.

  It is Mr. Wu Liu's "Drinking".

  "Lost someone and feeling down too?"

  Lu Xiaofeng really didn't know how to express his emotions at this moment. Originally, he almost had a soft red hall covered by his idol Bao Qingtian and was beheaded by Anle Hou as his sworn brother, which was already very tragic. As a result, he reluctantly recognized another sworn brother who should have died unjustly.

  What kind of luck is this to reach such a level?

  Jing Shan Wang isn't someone she particularly likes, but since Jing Shan Wangfei is still somewhat decent, she'll reluctantly help them educate Zhao Qiu Jie a bit. Giving him some strong medicine should have some effect.

  In fact, the effect of that strong medicine is good, not a little bit or half a point.

  Whenever Zhao Qiujie wanted to do something that Jing Shan Wangfei didn't agree with, she would just say "be careful not to let your sister know", and Little Master Zhao Qiujie would immediately become obedient, hiding in the Jing Shan Wangfu reading books and sleeping soundly - because as soon as he read a book, he would inevitably fall asleep.

  "Zhan Zhao," Lu Xiao Feng finally finished writing this poem "Drinking Wine", put down his pen, and looked at the little red cat with some confusion, "Do you think I'm cursed?"

  "Oh? What's going on?"

  "Why do I always encounter such bizarre things?" At first, she was recognized as a sworn sister by Tai Shi, and now she is recognized as a sworn sister by Zhao Qiujie. Which one isn't bizarre?

  He almost blurted out "because you're already quite weird", fortunately he didn't say it out loud.

  "You're overthinking."

  "I think it's not that I'm thinking too much," said Little Phoenix with a hint of distress, "I think this is clearly the heavens playing tricks on me."

  Heaven is playing a trick on you, aren't you also playing tricks on others? It's all even anyway, there's really nothing to be entangled about.

  But in this case, Zhan Zhao would not say it out loud. What he said was: "Things are already like this, and you're still entangled in it, which is useless. You might as well let go."

  "What about you? How did you have time to come over today?"

  "Unworthy of you, yet again at a small store, come take a look at you."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled and naturally leaned into his arms.

  Zhan Zhao Bian also naturally stretched out his hand to hold her, "Why don't I accompany you for a walk outside?"

  "Never mind, this is Bianliang City. If it's not careful and spread to the Taishi Mansion, I'm afraid it will cause a stir. Before she thought of a solution, let's just put it aside for now."

  "I really can't think of a way, so I'll just have to swallow my pride and propose in person."

  "This method has a very low success rate." Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but remind him.

  Zhan Zhao sighed in his heart, he knew that the success rate of this method was not high, and currently the only possible way to succeed was for them to get married, but this method would only make the Grand Master even more dissatisfied with him.

  "It's fine, don't worry about it either. Anyway, there's no rush. A solution will be found eventually." If all else fails, I'll just tell Master Tai that she forced herself on Xiao Maozi, the tyrant.

  Wow, this is indeed a good idea!

  "Zhan Zhao."

  "Huh?"

  Xiao Feng's eyes rolled around and asked him, "If I tell Master Tai about this, would he consider saving face and acknowledge our engagement?"

  Zhan Zhao: "......"

  "Can't you at least react?"

  "Do you think others will believe it?"

  "I think so."

  "Really?" Zhan Zhao was almost amused by her absurd idea, "I'm that easy to deal with?"

  Lu Xiaofeng reached out and hooked his neck, smiling slyly: "That depends on who's dealing with you. For me, it's easy as can be, isn't it?"

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but laugh, "You..."

  "Don't think I'm joking, this is actually a good method. I'll be tough on you first. You're the victim, and it's not something that can be easily talked about. My adoptive father might really end up suffering in silence."

  "Stop messing around, Zhao Qiujie isn't enough for you to play with, and now you're coming to mess with me?" Zhan Zhao didn't take her words seriously from the start, thinking they were just nonsense.

  Lu Xiaofeng gave him a white eye, loosened his hand that was hooked around his neck, and was about to leave his arms.

  Zhan Zhao hugged her tightly and said, "Is it true?"

  "What's the use of getting angry?"

  "It's not worth apologizing to you."

  Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but laugh and stretched out his hand to pat him on the chest, saying: "Can you still have some principles?"

  Zhan Zhao just looked at her and smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness and doting.

  Lu Xiaofeng slightly lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed, "Later I'll have Xiaohe go to the side room to sleep."

  Zhan Zhao also felt a bit awkward and turned his face away, although they had already been husband and wife in reality, but after all, the two had not yet been named as husband and wife.

  "Isn't Xiaohe..."

  "It doesn't matter, in Xiaohuo's heart you are Liu Xiahui, I am just a stone, and Liu Xiahui with a stone is the safest."

  Zhan Zhao was amused by her words.

  Xiaohe brought in tea while Lu Xiaofeng was watching Xianzhao write.

  Zhan Zhao's calligraphy is different from Lu Xiaofeng's, more powerful and elegant, and he wrote Li Bai's "Bring in the Ale".

  The pen is full of endless heroic spirit of Jianghu.

  Nan Xiaozhao, even if he enters the imperial court, still has his own rivers and lakes temperament.

  "Xiaohe, how's Zhan Zhao's handwriting?"

  Xiaohe said: "I don't understand these things at all, but looking at them is extremely good."

  Lu Xiaofeng also nodded, "I think it's good too. Tomorrow you take it to the shop and have it mounted, I'll hang it in my house."

  "Yes."

  "You're no longer needed here, I have some matters to discuss with Zhan Zhao tonight, you can go sleep in the side room."

  Xiaohe hesitated for a moment, but still responded: "The slave understands." After a pause, she said: "Does the slave need to help the young lady remove her makeup and change clothes?" This way, even if the young lady wants to have a romantic conversation with Master Zhan at night, she can be more relaxed and comfortable.

  Zhan Zhao pretended to be nonchalant and shifted his gaze elsewhere.

  Lu Xiaofeng thought for a moment and said, "Let's remove our makeup and change clothes instead."

  Xiao He then bowed to Zhan Zhao and said: "Lord Zhan, please wait in the courtyard for a while. I'll help Miss get dressed and washed up before you come in."

  "Good."

  Xiao He helped his young mistress wash and dress in an orderly manner, then invited Zhan Zhao to enter after he had been waiting in the courtyard.

  Zhan Zhao re-entered the house and saw that Lu Xiaofeng had already removed her hairpins and was wearing a loose-fitting home outfit, simple and unadorned. Her raven-black hair was simply tied back with a silk ribbon, hanging down behind her, yet still giving off an elegant and refined aura.

  And she was taking off the dagger tied to her thigh and the needle bag on her calf and putting them on the bedside stool.

  "Is it comfortable to wear these all day?"

  "You'll get used to it."

  "Why not wear the dagger at your waist?"

  "Stretch, kitty."

  Zhan Zhao looked at her.

  Lu Xiaofeng poked him between the eyebrows with his finger, "Don't you have any memory?"

  Zhan Zhao: "......"

  "Would the nine-tailed fox case have turned out differently if I had worn the dagger at my waist? The dagger can be worn at the waist, but it's a bit too showy; hiding it in the skirt is better."

  As for the needle bag, it was also for convenience. She would never be able to carry that medicine box on her shoulder all day, that's unrealistic.

  Zhan Zhao could only scratch his nose in disappointment.

  "But you're right, I can wear another small knife on my waist, that way it's even safer."

  Zhan Zhao: "......"

  "I'll go to the blacksmith's shop tomorrow and buy one."

  "You're always like this." Always saying it's going to rain just because there's wind.

  "You probably can't go with me."

  "It's not necessarily a bad idea."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled with pursed lips and took off his clothes, hanging them on a clothes rack.

  Zhan Zhao directly took off his clothes and the two of them lay down on the bed.

  Inside the mosquito net is a dense and sweet atmosphere, with endless gentle caresses that cannot be expressed in words.

  The candlelight outside has never gone out, illuminating a room of brightness.

  The candlelight in the inner chamber had never been lit, covering up that deep affection.

  The sky was still dark, Zhan Zhao got up and dressed, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around to see him, he turned back to Kaifeng Prefecture.

  Lu Xiaofeng continued to meet with Zhou Gong.

  After the sky brightened up, Xiao He and others also got up one after another.

  Xiaohe called out a few times outside the house, and after getting permission, he went in to put away the candle holder. Not seeing Zhang Daxian anywhere, he knew that he must have left after finishing his business.

  "Miss, shall we get up?"

  "I'm still sleeping, don't disturb me."

  "Yes."

  Lu Xiaofeng turned over in bed and fell asleep again, dazed. She had exercised a bit too much at night, so she would sleep for a while longer today.

  As expected, I slept until after noon.

  If I hadn't known that Miss had been up all night, Xiaohe would have worried that Miss was uncomfortable again.

  Lu Xiaofeng never asked Xiaohe for help in dressing, and even if he did need her assistance, it was only when putting on his outer garments that he would call her in.

  Xiaohe helped Miss wash and dress, re-braided her hair, and inserted pearl hairpins.

  "Xiaohe, let's go out for a walk in a little while."

  "Miss, let's eat first."

  "I'm just saying after dinner."

  "What does the young lady want to buy?"

  "Sword."

  Xiaohe was startled, "Miss, what's with buying a knife all of a sudden?"

  Lu Xiaofeng explained to her: "Buying a small and cute knife to hang on your waist, isn't it also quite convenient?"

  "Oh." Xiao He muttered to herself, Miss, aren't your knives already numerous enough? She always felt that the miss seemed to have an unusual fondness for collecting knives.

  Although Miss didn't explicitly express this hobby, Xiaohe as her personal maid still somehow sensed it.

  Lu Xiaofeng took Xiaohe out for a walk after dinner.

  After searching for several ironwork shops, they finally found a small knife that was only about seven inches long, including the handle.

  The blade is still quite sharp, and although the scabbard looks simple, it's not too ordinary. Worn at the waist, it makes a pretty good ornament.

  "Fat girl!"

  Hearing this familiar voice, Lu Xiaofeng was still suspicious for a moment.

  However, after seeing the owner of this voice, she only frowned again. It was that young master from the Secretary's family again. Judging by his appearance, he had come out with a group of friends to recite poetry and have fun, in short, to indulge in pleasure-seeking activities.

  After all, in this era, being infatuated with courtesans was still a common hobby among scholars.

  Emperor Huizong of Song directly wrapped up a Li Shishi, which is also a romantic story about the emperor's amorous affairs.

  Lu Xiaofeng didn't want to bother with this kind of person, so he glanced at him and casually picked up a vegetable knife to examine it.

  "Miss Pong wants to buy a kitchen knife? Does Miss still cook for herself?"

  Not only did Little Phoenix Maiden not want to bother with this pig-headed man, but even Xiao He didn't want to pay attention to such a playboy.

  "If Miss Pong is looking to buy something to play with, she's come to the wrong place."

  Lu Xiaofeng curled up the corner of his mouth and said coldly, "No need for Mr. Liu to trouble himself."

  "Hey, you guys think you can flirt with our local girls?"

  Suddenly, a female angel sent from heaven appeared and with one swing of her long sword blocked the path of Lu Xiao Feng and his servant.

  Lu Xiaofeng put down the vegetable knife in his hand, and he was somewhat envious of this female knight's loud debut.

  "Miss, you've got it wrong, I and Miss Pang are old acquaintances."

  Lu Xiaofeng said in a timely manner, "Young Master, don't say such misleading words. We are not familiar with each other." You only have some connection with Pang Yu, but this connection disappeared after Chai Wenyi injured Pang Yu, so it's okay to say that we are unrelated people.

  Xiaohe Bu Dao, "Yes, this female knight, we don't know them."

  "You bunch of good-for-nothing sons, only knowing how to fight and cause trouble, without any skills or knowledge. Get out of my sight at once!"

  So cool!

  Liu Gongzi saw this situation and had no choice but to leave with his friends first.

  "Thank you, miss, for your timely rescue." Lu Xiaofeng expressed his gratitude without reserve.

  "No need for courtesy, as a Jianghu person, I would naturally help those in distress." The girl said.

  Lu Xiaofeng had intended to exchange a few more pleasantries with the young lady, but before he could do so, a royal guard hastily approached and bowed, saying: "Our prince requests your presence, miss."

  "Your Highness?"

  "Yes."

  Lu Xiaofeng was somewhat skeptical, but still decided to go over and said "Take him away."

  "Miss, please."

  It wasn't until later that Lu Xiaofeng found out which prince it was - the current Eighth Virtuous Prince, Zhao Defang, a firm supporter of his family.

  "The common woman has seen the Eighth King."

  "Let it go, you're nothing but a commoner girl." Clearly having an official rank, yet deliberately wanting to be an ordinary citizen.

  "What did the king call me here for?"

  The Eighth Sage King pointed at the two people standing on one side and said, "This is a case, you help me judge it."

  Lü Xiao Feng: Which opera is this from?

  The guard stepped forward and told the whole story from beginning to end.

  Those two people, one in brocade clothes and the other in coarse linen robes, were arguing. The one in coarse linen robes was accusing the one in brocade clothes of stealing his silver money. The one in brocade clothes naturally denied it and asked passersby on the street to judge for themselves, saying that with their attire and appearance, how could they possibly steal someone's money? As the two were arguing, they encountered the sedan chair of the Eighth Prince, who couldn't help but intervene in the matter. Then, he saw Lü Xiao Feng not far away and had him brought over to act as judge.

  After hearing the words of the Wangfu guard, Lu Xiaofeng said: "I need a dog to help me, the kind that is spiritually intelligent."

  "Find a dog."

  The guard soon found a dog that met the requirements.

  Lü Xiaofeng said to the dog's owner, "Let your dog smell the scent on this coarse linen robe."

  "Alright."

  The dog smelled the scent of the coarse linen garment and then followed the smell under its master's lead, finally barking wildly around the man in brocade clothes.

  Lu Xiaofeng said, "Indeed, this person stole that man's money. Because a dog's nose is the most sensitive, all silver in the world looks exactly alike, but the scent of something that has just left one's body is always different."

  The Eighth Sage King couldn't help but laugh, "You've saved yourself some effort."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled slightly and said, "This is the most effortless method, because in this way, the criminal has no place to hide. Of course, if we don't use this method, it's not that we can't distinguish who is telling the truth and who is lying."

  "Oh, tell me about it."

  Lu Xiaofeng then explained to him, "A person with brocade clothes and jade clothes may look bright and beautiful on the surface, but they can't hide their true identity. This person is full of flaws from head to toe, this piece of clothing is obviously not his own, the collar is slightly short, the waistband is slightly loose, and what doesn't match him most is the pair of shoes under his feet. How can a person with brocade clothes and jade clothes wear such a pair of coarse cloth shoes? Your Highness, take another look at his hands—"

  A guard made the man stretch out his hand for explanation.

  "This is also not a pair of hands that have been pampered and indulged, whereas the person in the coarse linen robe is just the opposite."

  Moreover, the tone and demeanor of a person who tells lies and a person who tells the truth will necessarily have differences, careful observation will reveal the true from the false.

  The Eighth Highness was somewhat convinced, "This young lady is indeed not a waste of fame."

  "The king has given his misguided praise."

  "The king wants to go to Kaifeng to see Bao Zheng, you can also go together."

  "Yes." Although she agreed verbally, Xiaofeng felt a sense of unease in her heart. What did the Eighth Highness mean? He had invited her family's idol to drink tea and play chess, but why was he asking her to go with him? Her father, Taishi, and the idol were notorious enemies after all.